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About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in jo... (More)

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in journalism. Though my first love is journalism, food is a close second. I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, building an ever-expanding "to eat" list. As a journalist, I'm always trolling news sources and social media websites with an eye for local food news, from restaurant openings and closings to emerging food trends. When I was a teenager growing up in Menlo Park, I always drove up to the city on weekends with the singular purpose of finding a better meal than I could at home. But in the past year or so, the Peninsula's food culture has been totally transformed, with many new restaurants opening and a continuous stream of San Francisco restaurants coming south to open Peninsula outposts. Don't navigate this food boom hungry and alone! Feed me your tips on new chefs and eats and together we'll share them with the broader community. (Hide)

Opening alert: Bevri in Palo Alto

Bevri, a Georgian restaurant, has soft opened with limited hours at 530 Bryant St. in downtown Palo Alto.

For the time being, Bevri is open only for dinner, 5-8 p.m., on weekdays. Owner Pavel Sirotin said he is planning a "complete opening" later in February.

Sirotin, who is from Russia, decided to open Bevri after moving to the Bay Area and noticing the absence of Georgian food. He took over the Bryant Street space after Vero Ristorante closed.

A sample soft-opening menu, which Sirotin said is changing almost daily, includes traditional Georgian dishes such as eggplant rolls, pkhali (a mixture made from spinach, beets, walnuts and other ingredients), khinkali (dumplings filled with meat and/or vegetables) and khachapuri (a large boat-shaped piece bread filled with cheese and an egg). There are also meat kebabs, lamb ribs and a pressed whole chicken for entrees.

Check out the sample menu below:

Bevri also serves Georgian wine and beer.

Reservations are required to dine at Bevri during its soft-opening phase. They can be made online at bevri.com.